Your Story — Jan & Dave Singer

Jan and Dave Singer joke about who is the boss of their company while taking a break from building a log cabin on Wednesday, December 12. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Dave Singer uses a chain saw to cut a notch in a log for a home his is building on Wednesday, December 12. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)


Jan Singer lines the notched log onto the standing structure as her husband Dave lifts it into position with a loader. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Jan Springer points a chisel at her husband Dave while she jokes about the two of them quitting smoking at the same time while working together. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Dave Singer, co-owner of Cedar Creek Cabins, says he started building cabins after working with logs that came with a sawmill he bought several years ago. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Goodbye Party for Al

Mayor Al Huntington cheers and laughs during a good-natured ribbing by Councilman Jim Lee at a special reception for the mayor at the Livery Stables on Wednesday, December 12. Huntington was being honored for his years of service to the city. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Your Story – Greg Lamb

Greg Lamb works on a tractor engine to give it extra horsepower to be used in a tractor pulling machine. Lamb is the driver of the Black Viper on the tractor pull circuit. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Greg Lamb places a piston into a valve of an tractor engine. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)
Greg Lamb uses a torque wrench to tighten down a piston in a tractor engine in his shop. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Greg Lamb uses a rod/bearing clearance as he installs pistons in a tractor engine at his shop on Thursday, December 27. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Shop With A Firefighter

Kyle Biter, 6, sorts through a clothing rack at Wal-Mart during the Shop With a Firefighter event on Thursday, December 20. This year's event had 50 children paired with firefighters from all county and city fire departments. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Doug Gets Some Sleep

A patient of the King's Daughters' Hospital Sleep Study Lab, Doug Shuler says no, his mask is not uncomfortable... especially since the contraption, called a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine, has helped him get his first run of good sleep in more 18 years. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Spend some time at the American-Journal

I have a link to the side that I hope you all checkout. But if you haven’t lately, go to the current issue of the American Journal.
It has a nice mix of serious and serene work. There’s something for everyone.

Four Alarm Christmas

After disembarking a Carrollton Fire Department truck, Santa walks up to the home of Joy Hicks and her six children in Carrollton on Christmas Eve. The Hicks family was chosen as the recipients of this year's Christmas With a Firefighter benefit. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Joy Hicks did all she could to keep her kids away from the window on Christmas Eve morning. "I just kept saying come here, get back, get back," said the single mother of six children. "I didn't want them to ruin their surprise."

Shortly after noon, two Carrollton Fire Department engine trucks rolled to a stop near the Hick's home at Third and Highland and out sprang Santa and a gaggle of firefighters weighed down with bags of Christmas gifts for the Hicks family.

The gift givers moved up the interior stairwell to the family's small apartment.

When six-year-old Brenda Hicks spotted Santa, she let out a loud and joyful "Santa!" - alerting her siblings of the arrival.

The Carrollton Fire Department chose the Hicks’ as recipients of this year’s Christmas with a Firefighter program.

Carrollton Fire Chief Randy Tharp said one or two families are picked each year based on need. Money for the program is raised from the department's Spring Golf Scramble as well as other donations throughout the year. Tharp said one of the firefighters knew about Joy Hicks and her six children and thought they seemed like great candidates for help.

Hicks let the department know what the children needed in advance and gave them an idea of what each child's interests were and the firefighters went from there, buying more than $700 worth of gifts including coats, clothes, toys, games and a complete Christmas dinner.

The smiling faces of the children quickly confirmed to firefighters that they had picked out the right gifts.

"It was awesome," Ashlee Hicks said.

The firefighters left as quickly as they arrived, departing a small apartment that was now littered with shredded wrapping paper and smiling children, each playing with their new favorite toys.

"They were all surprised." Joy Hicks said. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Santa hands a gift to Ashlee Hicks, 12, as she and her siblings, from right, Cheyenne, 4, Brenda, 6, Nathan, 7, Brandon, 11, and Richard, 13, receive a bounty of offerings from the Carrollton Fire Department's Christmas with a Firefighter program on Monday, December 24. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Brandon Hicks, 11, and his brother Richard, 13, open gifts delivered by Santa and members of the Carrollton fire Department on Monday, December 24. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Brenda Hicks, 6, looks up at Santa as he continues to pull gift after gift from his bags for Brenda and her five siblings on Monday, December 24. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Live Nativity

"Mary," Megan Gosman, 6, sits beside the Christ child as Luke Carter, 5, peeks around the corner of the manger before beginning his role as Joseph in the Christian Academy of Madison's live Nativity at 430 Clifty Drive in Madison, on Friday, December 14. Organizer Leigh Carter said 25 preschool through sixth grade children participated in the school's inaugural Nativity event. Carter said putting together a Nativity was a priority for school administrator Anna Gosman, but no one expected to be able to get it done in the first year. "Then friends and family of the students and faculty came together and here we are," Carter said. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

The only drawback to posting from the previous month is that you sometimes have holiday assignments that are very dated by the time they get posted. This is no more evident than in January when I post Christmas photo after Christmas photo to the blog. I feel like the guy on your block who waits until Easter to take down his Christmas lights and big, inflatable Homer Simpson Santa.

Harley Heath, 4, shivers while portraying an angel in the Christian Academy of Madison's Live Nativity on Friday, December 14. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Seniors and Special Needs

Southwestern Elementary School Preschooler Tanner Morrow, 4, does morning exercises with SWHS seniors Tiffany Hogan, left, and Devon Brierly, right, on Thursday, December 6. Hogan and Brierly work in the mornings at SWES helping with the special needs students. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Southwestern Elementary School Preschooler J.J. Stone, 5, from left, listens as SWHS senior Tiffany Hogan speaks with Stone's classmate Hunter Shatley-Butters, 4, in their classroom on Thursday, December 6. Hogan, is one of a small group of seniors that work in the mornings at SWES helping with the special needs students. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Faith Filled Christmas

This was a follow up on the guy I photographed ringing the bell for the Salvation Army.

John Parker jokes with his family at their home in Milton on Friday, December 21. Parker has recently turned his life around with help from the Salvation Army. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

John Parker doesn't like to focus on or talk about his past problems except to say that he went without work for a "long while" and that he "was headed down the wrong road." When things were better, Parker helped to support his family by working for tree service companies. When things got bad, he was without work and the family relied heavily on his wife Mary's job at Grote Industries.

Then, just before Thanksgiving, Mary was laid off indefinitely.

"It was pretty bad," Parker said. "We didn't think we were going to have a Christmas."

Then, just as Parker said things seemed most dire, a series of events unfolded that have slowly been leading the family back to more sure financial footing.

"Captain Gary has been a big help in every way," Parker said of Capt. Gary Gugala, leader of the local Salvation Army. John said that through the guidance of Gugala, he began going to church, got a job as a bell ringer and was saved two months ago.

"I have known about Jesus for a long time," Parker said. "But I didn't go to church very much and I hadn't really turned my life over to Jesus."

Now, Parker said he knows what is really important. "I was headed down the wrong road. Now I'm on God's road."

On Friday night, the Parker family; John, Mary, John's step-daughter Santana Hendricks, 16, and his daughter Kiara Parker, 8, sat together in the small living room of a home on Coopers Bottom Road in Milton, Ky. Heat radiates from a wood-burning stove that occupies much of the floor space. The accommodations are sparse, but like the stove, warmth emanates from the Parkers.

"We may not have the most stuff in the world but we're rich in spirit," Santana said.

The family's spirits have been lifted in large part they say, by John's new focus and motivation.

"His job has helped his self-esteem," Mary Parker said, adding that John had been down on himself throughout his unemployment. "He's been a new person. He's more positive."

"Before, he was into himself," Santana said. "Now he looks to us. He wants to know how we're doing. I can talk to him about what's going on with me."

John Parker has taken Santana, who likes to sing, with him to a few of his bell-ringing stations. For her help, he has shared some of his pay so that she can buy gifts for Christmas.

Earlier in the season, Gugala said the kettles were not only beneficial in raising money for the Salvation Army's mission work, but also as an effort to put people to work who have been finding it difficult to find employment.

Gugala looks at the bell ringing as a first step back into the working world for people like Parker. With Gugala's help, Parker has landed a job beginning after Christmas as a builder of log home kits.

John Parker said he doesn't expect to get rich quick, but it is nice to just be able to pay his electric bill.

"I don't need money as long as I have God," Parker said. (Story—©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

John Parker laughs at his step daughter Santana Hendricks as she pulls his Santa hat down over her head. Parker wears the hat while working as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army. "It keeps your head warmer than you'd think," he said. Parker's bell ringing job — his first employment in a long while — has proved to be a gateway into a steady job. With help from Salvation Army Capt. Gary Gugala, Parker secured a job starting after Christmas as a builder of residential log home kits. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Play Promo

Ben Paciorkowski, left, and Ben Cassiday will be filling the roles of Harold and Taylor, respectively in the presentation of K2 at Hanover College. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Hungry Horse

Dennis Watterson took over the care of this horse that he said came to him malnourished and uncared for. The horse is severely underweight and he is trying to bring the horse back to health. Watterson said there likely would be more horses in the same shape as feed becomes more expensive and scarce this season. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Dennis Watterson talks about the neglect that some area horses are receiving. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

My Favorites of 2007

Your Story John Cable

Earl "Dink" Davis, right, talks through his clock problems to John Cable on Wednesday, November 21, in hopes that Cable can discern what is causing the timepiece to stop. Cable tries to give a prognosis from the description, but finally decides to make a house call for Dink, who is a regular customer of M & M Watch & Clock Repair. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

John Cable works in his Walnut Street shop on Wednesday, November 27. Cable splits his time between his duties as a rural postmaster and his clock repair business. Upon his retirement from the post office, Cable plans to work in his repair shop full time. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

The bell, springs, gears and other inner workings of an antique clock (bottom right) lay exposed on Cable's worktable on Wednesday, November 27 later that day, the clock is set up right (upper-right) and allowed to run through a full winding to make sure it is fixed. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Shot of a Flu Shot

Sitting in her father, Mark Goebel's lap, Lydia Goebel, 6, reacts to getting her flu shot from Cindy Carter at the Jefferson County Health Department on Wednesday, November 21. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Potato Head

J.W. Hill looks around the stage while waiting for his turn at the mic while he, Angel Hanshew and their classmates from Holly Heath's first grade class put on a Thanksgiving play at Bedford Elementary on Tuesday, November 20. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Festive Festoon

Historic Madison, Inc. Executive Director John Staicer ties greenery to the rail of the front steps of the Jeremiah Sullivan House, 304 West Second Street. The HMI property is being decorated for this year's Candlelight Tour of Homes. (Staff photo by Ken Ritchie)

Sophie the Dog

Sophie walks down the hallway with counselor Jan Swann and first grader Michael Gibson, 6, at Dupont Elementary School on Friday, November 30. Sophie, who belongs to Swann, gives the children someone to interact with in ways they may be uncomfortable interacting with other children or adults. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Never shy, Sophie investigates the camera while in a classroom with Joe Elliott's third grade students at Dupont Elementary School on Friday, November 30. Sophie, who belongs to counselor Jan Swann, gives the children someone to interact with in ways they may be uncomfortable interacting with other children or adults. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

First grader Michael Gibson, 6, reads a book to Sophie and counselor Jan Swann at Dupont Elementary School on Friday, November 30. Sophie, who belongs to Swann, gives the children someone to interact with in ways they may be uncomfortable interacting with other children or adults. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Sophie has her own staff badge to wear on her collar when she is at Dupont Elementary School. Sophie, who belongs to counselor Jan Swann, gives the children someone to interact with in ways they may be uncomfortable interacting with other children or adults. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Your Story — Migoet (ME-JO)

Artist Christine Gaines, who paints under the name Migoet, has a bedroom that doubles as a studio space and sitting room on the second floor of her home. Gaines said she has never had a formal studio. She has always painted in her bedroom or in a bathroom. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Nearly all of Gaines home is covered in murals and framed art. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

A dog peers out of a window painted by Christine Gaines on the back exterior wall of her home in Madison. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Artist Christine Gaines, who paints under the name Migoet, sorts through paintings she has stacked against one wall in her home. Gaines said she is more passionate about painting portraits but that her landscapes sell better for her. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

Artist Christine Gaines, who paints under the name Migoet, started her career illustrating articles written by her father for a polish language newspaper, later she painted for clients in California and her work was displayed in set dressings of popular television programs. Today she paints and sculpts with occasional shows in the area. Gaines' next exhibition will be at JoeyG's from December 20 to January 17. (©Ken Ritchie/The Madison Courier)

National Guard Sendoff

Check out my newspaper's slide show of a national guard send-off.